Friday, February 25, 2011
Pleiotropic vs Polygenic Inheritance
Pleiotropy occurs when a single gene affects multiple phenotypes. a)Find a human pleiotropic gene and explain why that gene is a pleiotropic gene. **be careful not to find a disease which simply has alot of side effects b) In 50 words compare Pleiotropy and Polygenic Inheritence.
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In humans, pleiotropic genes can cause a number of mutations for example Marfan's , where the slender physique, hypermobility of the joints, elongation of the limbs, dislocation of the lens, and susceptibility to heart disease are all caused by one gene. This is simply because the gene does not only affect one but it affects multiple phenotypes. So it would cause multiple complications.
ReplyDeletePleiotropy can affect humans by being responsible for multiple symptoms associated with hereditary diseases. Some of the diseases include sickle-cell disease and cystic fibrosis. Sickle-cell disease is considered an pleiotropic gene because it develops in persons carrying two affective alleles for a blood protein. The gene defects itself only, affects one tissue and blood.
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